House Committee Requests DHS Briefing on Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Implementation

<p>The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has requested a briefing from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding the agency's implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA). This law, passed in 2021, aims to combat the importation of goods produced with forced labor in China.</p><p>The UFLPA directed DHS' Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force to create a strategy to prevent the importation of goods made wholly or partially with forced labor from the People's Republic of China.</p><p>Human rights groups have raised awareness about the alleged oppression and forced labor of Uyghurs, a Muslim ethnic minority in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).</p><p>Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., the ranking member on the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, stated that the Uyghurs are facing political persecution, forced cultural assimilation, and coerced labor under poor conditions.</p><p>Khanna emphasized that enforcing the UFLPA is not only a moral issue but also a matter of economic and national security for the United States.</p><p>The bipartisan letter, addressed to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, outlines ten concerns the committee has, including the actions DHS and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are taking to update the UFLPA Entity List.</p><p>DHS added 43 companies to this list in July, which Khanna acknowledged as a positive development. He noted that there had been a lack of action prior to this addition.</p><p>The committee's letter expresses concerns that products from companies on the list, particularly those from the XUAR, continue to reach U.S. consumers. These products reportedly include materials essential for technology production.</p><p>The letter references a report indicating that cotton used in popular Labubu dolls may originate from forced labor.</p><p>Khanna highlighted the challenges posed by China's circumvention of import bans through outsourcing manufacturing to other countries.</p><p>He stated that identifying products linked to forced Uyghur labor is crucial, asserting that such products should not be allowed in the United States.</p><p>Khanna reiterated that the issue of forced labor in China transcends party lines, as evidenced by the bipartisan support for the letter.</p><p>He concluded by emphasizing that Americans support fair trade and do not want to compete against products made with slave labor.</p><p>Fox News Digital reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S., and Pop Mart, the manufacturer of Labubu dolls, for further comments.</p>